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new need tactics help

591 views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Gallowglacht 
#1 ·
well, i just got the codex and am toying with the idea of starting eldar after i get done with my current army(not for a while)
anyway, while trying to make a list, i came accross several tactical questions.

first of all, i am planning on fielding some howling banshees. i was wondering if it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to thier survival to take a wave serpeant. i really just don't want to get a wave serpant due to the fact that i don't want to pay the points or the money to get one. if i just rely on them on fleeting thier way to the enemy, will they make it thier in one peace. will having many members in this squad make them better able to survive. this question also aplies to dire avengers

second: are wraithlords worth it.

Third, is it a good idea to have an indipendant farseer join a unit? i just don't really feel like having a unit of warlocks would be effective. i mean, although they are good in the assualt, they don't really have any way to get into close close combat and i don't really like thier psychic powers. plus, they don't really have any good long ranged firepower.

fourth: i was thinking of including an autarch with a mandiblaster, powersword, fusion blaster, and warp jump pack. my plan was that he could join a squad to support it in close combat, but if needed, he could use his jump pack to jump out of the squad in order to get close to a vehical and blast it. does this sound like an alright tactic.

well, thx in advance to any answers to these problems.
 
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#2 ·
first of all, i am planning on fielding some howling banshees. i was wondering if it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to thier survival to take a wave serpeant. i really just don't want to get a wave serpant due to the fact that i don't want to pay the points or the money to get one. if i just rely on them on fleeting thier way to the enemy, will they make it thier in one peace. will having many members in this squad make them better able to survive. this question also aplies to dire avengers
That's a toughy. I like having mine in a slightly upgraded Wave Serpent just for the added safety. I don't like all my points doing down the drain due to one of them falling over whilst trying to fleet. If there is enough terrain for them o stay in cover, then I say go for it. It's really up to you and your playing style.
As with Dire Avengers, it depends on how many you're going for. I am going to go for a small 5-man squad with upgrades and Farseer and mount them in a Falcon. I love Falcons, and having these inside is an added bonus. :)

second: are wraithlords worth it.
One word: Yes! They pwn. :w00t:

Third, is it a good idea to have an indipendant farseer join a unit? i just don't really feel like having a unit of warlocks would be effective. i mean, although they are good in the assualt, they don't really have any way to get into close close combat and i don't really like thier psychic powers. plus, they don't really have any good long ranged firepower.
I've said about using them with a small squad of Dire Avengers (with Doom) to help get maximum enemy deaths. And I agree abot the Warlocks.

fourth: i was thinking of including an autarch with a mandiblaster, powersword, fusion blaster, and warp jump pack. my plan was that he could join a squad to support it in close combat, but if needed, he could use his jump pack to jump out of the squad in order to get close to a vehical and blast it. does this sound like an alright tactic.
For me, my Autraches are allegic to jump packs. That double roll means dead Autrach. :(
But weapon/setup wise, that's probably how I'll do mine (although maybe a cheaper weapon than Fusion Gun). However, instead of jump-pack I'm going to go wings (they look soo damn sweet!).


Hope that helped somewhat. :)
 
#3 ·
I am going to disagree with parasite on the usefulness of warlocks.

Yes, they are dead hard in assault, despite the reduced number of attacks (Compared to other HQ options). And they have some difficulty in ranged combat. But almost all of the warlocks' pwers are passive so they are always active. This means that you use your farseer powers in the beginning of the turn, move then fleet. Lather, rinse, repeat. Maybe that is the Ulthwe in me talking though.

As far as having the farseer join the unit, I usually advise against it. Keep him hidden, and by that I mean use his status as an independent character to prevent him from being targeted. He'll remain useful longer. Putting him in a squad of say, dire avengers, and a concentrated salvo from your opponent will force a lot of saves. And if he can survive that shooting turn, great. But otherwise he just put an exclamation point next to the bulls-eye that normally follows your units around. The only unit I have my farseer join is A) Warlocks, or B) Maxed out guardian squad with conceal (or other cover bonus) Just to make the most use of him. The seer's psychic powers require him to be around as long as possible.

Again, this is a very Ulthwe point of view.
 
#4 ·
A united assault of Farseer w/ Warlocks (especially with Witch Blades, now that they are free!) and Howling Banshees will jump through squads. I use the Banshees to punch through armoured opponents and the Farseer / Warlocks to attack the lesser stuff.

Of course, Destructors are always nice... especially against lightly or medium armoured opponents.

Take the Wave Serpent, if you know that you'll be needing it. On small boards, it's not that necesary, as they can get into combat on a 4 foot board in around 3-4 turns.

Of course, throwing out the serpent means you get more banshees, so fleeing from 25% casualties gets a little tougher, but otherwise, if your opponent has weapons to beat them, more of them are just going to buy a little more time.


Using Warlocks with the Farseer is fun, something about I7 WS7 wounds on a 2+ (with a re-roll) hits is hard to pass up. Not only that, but throw a second Farseer in, and now you can re-roll armour saves... pretty nasty unit.
 
#5 ·
For me, my Autraches are allegic to jump packs. That double roll means dead Autrach.
if you attach him to a squad of warpspiders, a model of the squad is dead when you double roll.

as it goes for banshees, i'd say: take a serpent. scorps are able to infiltrate etc., banshees will die in the open. and if they are in cover, their mobility is going down. against assaulting armies, like black templars, tyranids, orks etc., that's ok(ish), but they will die in vain against imps, tau, necrons etc. as those have close combat troops on their top priority list. (or at least should have)

in addition, the serpent gives you lots of tactical flexibility, i.e. you can back off, decide where and when to fight
 
#6 ·
if you attach him to a squad of warpspiders, a model of the squad is dead when you double roll.
True, but mine probably wont join up with Warp Spiders. :)
 
#7 · (Edited)
Just a thought...

The Serpent isn't only there to let the banshees live a bit longer, but to get them where you need them. Eldars units are expensive, fragile and specialised. To be effective, you need the parts to work together. The battle has to be faught on your terms, when and where you want it. Even with fleet it would be easy for an opponent who has experience against Eldar to manouver to avoid the banshees or disrupt the other units you need for a succesfull attack.

My basic rules for playing Eldar are to use your manouverability to divide the enemies forces, then concentrate attacks on the enemy in sections, destroying one section utterly before moving on the rest. Speed and co-ordnation are vital. Units that don't contribute to the battle plan are a dead weight. While co-ordinating and manouvering on foot is possible it is harder. Just bear that in mind and plan accordingly.



.....Or don't worry about it, pick what you think is cool/can afford and have fun anyway.

second: are wraithlords worth it.
If they contribute to your battle plans, yes. If you have a firebase they can be great to protect the weaker units and can add some more firepower.
Wraithlords are one of the kinder units in an Eldar army. They have high WS for heavy weapons and are very survivable and quite nasty in combat against big things. They will nearly always be usefull. (and look increadably cool aswell as having great fluff).

Third, is it a good idea to have an indipendant farseer join a unit? i just don't really feel like having a unit of warlocks would be effective. i mean, although they are good in the assualt, they don't really have any way to get into close close combat and i don't really like thier psychic powers. plus, they don't really have any good long ranged firepower.
Yes it can be good protection. But if you dont like their powers, dont take a Farseer. They are not there for close combat the Avatar is. Farseers are for the support they give to other units, covering for the likes of low strength (doom), avg BS (guide) and fragile units (fortune). They dont have to have good long range firepower. But guided War Walker squadrons have ridiculous ranged firepower.

fourth: i was thinking of including an autarch with a mandiblaster, powersword, fusion blaster, and warp jump pack. my plan was that he could join a squad to support it in close combat, but if needed, he could use his jump pack to jump out of the squad in order to get close to a vehical and blast it. does this sound like an alright tactic.
Never used one in 13 years of playing Eldar. Dont have the new codex yet. Honest advise is to try it out a few times and get a feel. Thats what I'm going to do. Plenty of stuff looks good/bad on paper, but is a different story on the tabletop. When it comes to Autarchs I simply, honestly dont know. Yet. But I'll give you an honest opinion when I've tried them out enough.

Best thing to do with the Eldar is try stuff out, take your kicking's and learn your lessons. A Marine army will compensate for your mistakes, because they are just so hardy, dependable and versatile. An Eldar army won't. You screw up, you suffer. Thats why I think new players should start with something like Eldar instead of Marines. You wont pick up bad habits (cover? pttff. So what if I fail a moral check...).
 
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